Norwegian Vikings

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

It’s a common misconception that law and
order was introduced in Norway with Christianity and that the pre-Christian
period was dominated by a state of lawlessness. It is easy to understand why
this view has gained popularity when considering the fact that Vikings have
constantly been depicted as pillaging savages in popular culture. It is true
that the Vikings gained notoriety for their raids on villages and monasteries
in Great Britain and the northern coasts of France, but this was only one small
aspect of the their lives and it was certainly not a practice that was only
confined to them and the far outposts of northern Europe. Hostilities occurred
all over the continent at the time and were perpetrated by numerous tribes and
ethnic groups. It is also important to remember that the term Viking
encompassed all the people (apart from the Sami) who lived in Scandinavia at
the time, and that the majority did not participate in such raids, but that
they were ordinary citizens with normal mundane jobs, such as farmers,
fishermen and tradespersons.

The Vikings who participated in these raids
were brutal and acted with impunity, but things were different in Norway where
transgressions of local customs and laws were dealt with by the local courts
(Lagting). During the Viking Age, Norway was divided into several miniature
kingdoms and the laws that dictated everyday life were decided by all the free
citizens (non-slaves) in these regions. The laws were in accordance with
ordinary people’s sense of justice and they were not imposed upon the people by
the courts, as was the case when Christianity was introduced to the country. It
is also worth mentioning that no one was above the law, even the local kings
and tribal leaders, who at the time wielded great influence could be punished
if they overstepped their authority.

Judicial system in Norway during
the Viking Age

The judicial system in Norway during this
period was remarkably ahead of its time with a jury based system where the fate
of the accused was decided by twelve free men, as is still the case in many
countries today. A guilty verdict could, depending on the type of crime, mean having
to pay reparations to the victim or the victim’s family, be punished with death
or deportation. Disputes could also be resolved in a duel in which the accused
and the accuser would fight each other with swords until death (Holmgang). In
order to bring someone before the Lagting one had to report the incident, which
didn’t always happen, and subsequently many private disputes, including murder
were settled outside the judicial system and often went unpunished as they were
considered private affairs.

And disputes were plentiful during this time
because Viking culture demanded revenge, and unlike Christianity it was a
warrior culture. To turn the other cheek was considered unmanly and
unacceptable. The prominence of the warrior culture also helps us understand
why Vikings went on raids overseas.

Navigational skills

The Vikings also had a vast knowledge of
navigation and boat building. Their traditional vessels, the longships, were
fast and of high quality, and according to maritime experts, were some of the
best ships around at the time. And they had to be because the Vikings undertook
long voyages. Their ships brought them to America 500 years before Columbus,
and all the way down to Constantinople.

In order to travel that far the Vikings had
to rely on their navigational skills. On long voyages away from the coast they
relied upon sun observations. They used a very basic sextant to determine the
angle between the sun and the horizon; they even had almanacs showing the
height of the sun on any given day of the year. They also used basic compasses
which utilized the sun’s position during sunrise and sunset to indicate true
north and south. They were even able to use their compass on overcast days with
the aid of a sunstone made of cordierite, which accurately indicated the
position of the sun. During nights they would navigate by observing the polar
star. And it worked. The hundreds of successful voyages to the new established
colonies in Iceland and Greenland, and their countless raids on Great Britain
and France are a testament to that.

The Vikings also had their own written
language (Runeskrift) which most people were able to read and understand.

Christianity comes to Norway

It has been suggested that Christianity came
to Norway at the end of the Viking Age 793 -1066, but this has been contested by
several historians. Today it is commonly accepted that there were small
Christian communities in Norway as early as year 700 and that these Christians
were living side by side with their non-Christian compatriots. Vikings that
went overseas came into contact with Christianity on their voyages and some of
them adopted the new religion. They also brought home Christian slaves to
Norway who spread the faith. The Viking king, Olav Trygvason is often credited
for having successfully introduced Christianity to Norway in the late 900’s,
and he did so with brute force. Those who refused to convert were killed.

Some historians claim that the motives for
introducing the new religion in Norway were political rather than ideological.
They believe that the new religion was used as a political instrument to gain
power for the newly converted Christian kings. In pre-Christian times kings in
Norway had limited powers. The people elected their kings and they could also
have them dethroned, and even killed in those circumstances where the kings
overstepped their authority. The power of the king and the church were absolute
after the introduction of Christianity.

It didn't take long for Christianity to
establish itself in Norway, it is estimated that the country was majority
Christian as early as 1150. The old ways of the Vikings were scrapped and
replaced with Christian laws and customs. The people did no longer have a say
in how the laws were created and implemented. New laws were based on the
teachings of the bible, and the kings and the priests became the new powerful
elite. The proud Viking tradition of not turning the other cheek had no place
in this new society and it was replaced with Christian ideals of forgiveness
and non-violence, which would have been viewed with utter repulsion in earlier
times.

Even though Christianity rapidly managed to
get a foothold in the country, the old traditions were so ingrained that many
of the old beliefs and customs survived. The old religious holidays were
adopted by Christianity and given Christian names and meanings. Christmas Eve
(Jul) was an old Viking an old tradition celebrating winter solstice, even
today Christmas Eve is called Jul in Norway.

Christianity did however abolish slavery in
Norway, as this practice was viewed as immoral, but it is also widely accepted
that ordinary people and especially women lost many rights with the
introduction of the new religion. One thing however that Christianity did not
introduce to Norway was an organized and highly developed culture. It was
already in the country and it had been there for hundreds of years before
Christianity ever reached its shores.